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Alan Farley named election administrator

Scott Broden, The Daily News Journal 9:59 a.m. CDT July 29, 2014

Alan Farley shakes hands with Rutherford County Election Commission member John Taylor soon after learning that the Election Commission voted 4 to 1 to name him to the position of administrator of elections.(Photo: John A. Gillis/DNJ)

MURFREESBORO New election administrator Alan Farley convinced two of three fellow Republicans and two Democrats to hire him Monday night in a 4-1 Election Commission vote.

"You've got to be fair and consistent," said Farley, who expects that he should be able to start before Sept. 1 after completing his associate athletic department work in fund raising for Middle Tennessee State University for an election administrator job with a starting annual salary of $92,640. "I just want to make sure all the loose ends are tied up on campus."

Republican Election Commissioner Felicia Hix opposed offering the job to Farley, who will replace the recently fired Nicole Lester. She lost her job July 7 in a 5-0 vote after being accused of not working enough and being present enough in the office.

During the interview, Hix suggested Farley had resigned from a previous 10-year stint on the election commission after the Rutherford County Republican Party had voted unanimously that he should be replaced for being absent from meetings and during an Aug. 1, 2002, election, as well as dereliction to duty.

"I'm not aware of any vote," said Farley, who recalled that the Republican Party chairman for the county at the time, Howard Wall, praised the work Farley had done for 10 years after resigning.

The past election in question included Republican county executive (now called mayor) candidate Jimmy Evans, who lost in a close race to incumbent Democrat Nancy Allen. Evans, who also lost this year's GOP primary for mayor against incumbent Ernest Burgess, was present as Hix questioned Farley but left before the final interviews took place for seven finalists.

Hix replaced Evans earlier this year on the election commission when he announced he was running for county mayor,

Evans during a phone interview last week confirmed that he and his supporters were upset that Farley was not present on election night with fellow Republican Election Commissioner Doris Jones when Allen held the county executive seat.

"When I was running in 2002, my race did end in a controversial fashion," Evans recalled. "Mr. Farley was in Nashville or somewhere. He certainly was not present at the election commission. We only had one Republican there minding the store."

The election results came in at 2 or 3 in the morning, Evans added.

"It certainly concerned me at the time," said Evans, noting he intends to run for mayor again in 2018. "There was a lot of pressure and a lot of complaining at the election commission at the time, especially with the two Republicans, and Mr. Farley stepped down."

When asked during a phone interview last week about people complaining about what happened in 2002, Farley said he didn't remember all that took place.

"I can't remember what I ate for dinner last week," Farley said. "My only comment is now I'm going to be linked with Watergate. I don't know where people are coming up with all this stuff."

Watergate is a reference to Republican President Richard Nixon resigning in 1974 nearly 40 years ago after the public learned he and his administration sought to cover up a burglary that took place of the Democratic Party's National Committee offices June 1972 at the Watergate Hotel.

After Monday night's meeting, Election Commission Chairman Ransom Jones said he would not respond to what Hix had to say during the Farley interview.

"There are other people who have impure motives," Jones said. "It's all a bunch of hearsay."

Jones said the Hix questioning of Farley is similar to what happened three years ago before the election commission voted for Lester as the compromise choice among the three Republican election commissioners in a 3-2 vote.

Taylor noted that some Democrats described Farley as being a rabid Republican and asked the applicant about that.

"I am a Republican," Farley said. "People know who I am and what I am. There's a political process and an electoral process. It's not the election commission's role to decide. We're just a conduit to hold elections."

Farley assured the election commission he would treat all people with respect regardless if they're Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party advocates, Libertarians or independents.

"It's up to the voters to decide," Farley said.

Taylor said he may vote for a Republican while interviewing Farley.

"It is awkward for us to vote for a Republican," Taylor said before he and Peebles joined GOP Election Commissioners David Edwards and Jones in supporting Farley.

Republican Election Commissioner David Edwards, who is a former member of the Murfreesboro City Council, called for the vote to hire Farley after saying Farley was the only one who had election commission experience that stands out.

Peebles after the meeting agreed Farley was the best choice.

"I felt like of all the candidates we had to choose from, his experience was the deciding factor for me," Peebles said.

Jones after the meeting repeated what he's been saying about Farley.

"I thought he was uniquely qualified," said Jones, adding that Farley's 10 years experience made him the most qualified. "He knows how it works."

Peebles during the interview asked Farley about why he wanted the job.

Farley talked about hoping to take a position that will involve much less travel than he has had with MTSU so he can be home with his family and especially have more time with a daughter.

"I worked 189 hours in two weeks," said Farley, recalling how that included working on Thanksgiving Day. "I don't mind hard work."

Farley beat out the following six finalists who also interviewed: Laura Bohling, the county Circuit Court clerk who lost her Republican primary to keep the job for another four years after August; Steve Sandlin, who is retiring from a 24-year career with the County Commission after August; Brad Turner, who has won re-election to remain on the County Commission; John "Jay" Womack Jr., who works for Michael's and previously worked in management in the defense contracting industry; Thomas Thompson, who is a commander of the jail for the County Sheriff's Office; and Charles Tilton, who is a colonel and commander of the the Tennessee Army National Guard 117th Regional Training Institute.

Contact Scott Broden at 615-278-5158 or sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.